Bionic Eye
Ammar Qasim
Gill
Block 6
26 February, 2014
Bionic Eye
Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) is a consortium of world-leading Australian researchers, collaborating to develop an advanced bionic eye devices to restore a sense of vision to people with profound vision loss due to retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. A bionic eye mimics the function of the retina to restore sight for those with severe vision loss. It uses a retinal implant connected to a video camera to convert images into electrical impulses that activate remaining retinal cells which then carry the signal back to the brain.
The way it works is bionic vision system consists of a camera, attached to a pair of glasses, which transmits high-frequency radio signals to a microchip, implanted in the retina. Electrodes on the implanted chip convert these signals into electrical impulses to stimulate cells in the retina that connect to the optic nerve. These impulses are then passed down along the optic nerve to the vision processing centers of the brain, where they are interpreted as an image.
To benefit from this technology, patients need to have some remaining retinal ganglion cells, A healthy optic nerve and visual cortex, Very low or no vision, To have been able to see in the past, so that the vision processing part of the brain has developed fully, and a functional visual pathway from the retina to the brain along the optic nerve, as well as some intact retinal cells. As such, the two medical conditions that this technology aims to address are retinitis pigmentosa and age-related.
A person using a retinal implant to see will not experience vision in the same way a person with healthy eyes does. It will be quite basic to start with and they will need training to adapt to the implant. With time, training and patience, people will be able to use this visual information to be more independent and mobile. The retinal implant bionic eye works by stimulating the perception of light in a
Gill
Block 6
26 February, 2014
Bionic Eye
Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) is a consortium of world-leading Australian researchers, collaborating to develop an advanced bionic eye devices to restore a sense of vision to people with profound vision loss due to retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. A bionic eye mimics the function of the retina to restore sight for those with severe vision loss. It uses a retinal implant connected to a video camera to convert images into electrical impulses that activate remaining retinal cells which then carry the signal back to the brain.
The way it works is bionic vision system consists of a camera, attached to a pair of glasses, which transmits high-frequency radio signals to a microchip, implanted in the retina. Electrodes on the implanted chip convert these signals into electrical impulses to stimulate cells in the retina that connect to the optic nerve. These impulses are then passed down along the optic nerve to the vision processing centers of the brain, where they are interpreted as an image.
To benefit from this technology, patients need to have some remaining retinal ganglion cells, A healthy optic nerve and visual cortex, Very low or no vision, To have been able to see in the past, so that the vision processing part of the brain has developed fully, and a functional visual pathway from the retina to the brain along the optic nerve, as well as some intact retinal cells. As such, the two medical conditions that this technology aims to address are retinitis pigmentosa and age-related.
A person using a retinal implant to see will not experience vision in the same way a person with healthy eyes does. It will be quite basic to start with and they will need training to adapt to the implant. With time, training and patience, people will be able to use this visual information to be more independent and mobile. The retinal implant bionic eye works by stimulating the perception of light in a